Educational Justice, Transformative Leadership Practices, and Special Needs Students

Gregory Minton, M. Alayne Sullivan

Abstract

This mixed methods study investigated the extent to which transformative leadership (TL)practices of school administrators were considered with particular regard to special needsstudents in various public schools in Southern California. 26 purposefully selected schooladministrators rated the extent to which they employed a range of elements deemedprototypic of transformative leadership as derived from foundational texts of social andeducational justice scholarship. Results of a quantitative survey questionnaire indicate astrong validation of a specific range of TL attitudes and behaviors, while qualitative interviewdata yields inclusive practice themes emphasized as important for working with special needsstudents. The study presents important realizations for male and female, and culturallydiverse administrators as well as teachers who work with special needs students. Asimportantly, the survey generated for this study is an important measurement instrument forfuture research into transformative leadership values and practices.

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